The Party Afterwards
by Lady Priscilla Violet Regina
Summary: Yaoi implied! After the war, this is the party that the Gundam Boys throw...too bad Quatre's non-alcholic beverage suggestion didn't go through!


The Party Afterwards

By: Priscilla Violet Regina

Disclaimer: Hn. Disclaimers. Pointless, yet necessary. *smirk* Obviously, these are not mine. Yes, we wish it sometimes, but it won't happen. 

The red and blue flashing lights and deafening siren bounced of all of the buildings in a courtyard on the Colony L3 Cluster. Five young men, all about the ages of 15-16, stood in a line while watching the blaze. They seemed normal enough, just five youthful teenage boys, but something in their eyes said the weren't as innocent as they looked. The most mature of them all, Heero Yuy, or so he called himself, stood in the center, supported by Duo Maxwell and Quatre Raberba Winner, who were not as tipsy as he. A policeman walked up and stood in front of them, blocking their view of the rapidly burning building, and turned to the tallest.

"You there, you look responsible enough. What's your name?" he asked, pointing to the acrobatic young man.

"My name? My name is Trowa Barton," he answered in his calm, cool way that separated him from the other Gundam Pilots.

Pulling out a notepad to write it down, the policeman replied with, "Trowa? Okay, Trowa. Can you tell me what happened here?"

The former circus clown looked down the line of the Gundam Pilots he called friends, searching for the approval of either Wufei Chang (or Chang Wufei, for those you who actually know the difference) or Heero. The latter of the two looked right back at him, his face an unreadable mask, and then suddenly lost his already wobbly footing and fell over onto the lawn. Trying to suppress his laughter, Quatre raced over to him and tried to wake him up, but the alcohol had taken it's toll. He was out cold. Duo, otherwise known as The God of Death, came over and broke out into a devilish grin, suitable for his well-known alias.

"He'll be out for while. I've never seen Heero drink like that before! It was hilarious! Hey, Trowa, why don't you let me tell the cop what happened, okay? Quatre will probably need your help over there..." he pointed to the struggling blonde. "I can handle it!" he added, flicking his eyebrows up in a mischievous glance.

"Sure, whatever you say, Duo."

"So, I take it your name is Duo? And what is your full title?" the adult asked, looking down his nose at the youngster, which was rather hard to do since the boy was taller than him.

"Duo Maxwell, Shinigami or God of Death, if you please, Pilot of the Gundam..." he broke off when fixed by Wufei's steely glare. "Hmph, excuse me. Duo Maxwell's the name, sir." he added quickly in a quiet voice, unusual for his normally loud and extrovert mouth. "Any, onto what happened..." he replied when he saw the policeman's impatient look. 

"I walked through the door of apartment 2A expecting a game of chess or perhaps, if Trowa and Quatre got rowdy, some cards. Boy, did I underestimate them! As soon as I stepped off the welcome mat I was immediately hailed by Heero, who was carrying two glasses of Champaign, one in either hand. I assumed one was for me, and reached for it, but he quickly gulped it down and went dancing off to another room. I took off my coat and hat, and looked around for a closet. I finally found on at the back of the living room and when I opened it, guess who I saw?" At this point, Duo sneaked a look over at Wufei, who just got red in the cheeks and turned his back to him. "None other than Sally Po, tied up with Wufei's belt and a sock stuck in her mouth. She was struggling too, I guess. Maybe trying to escape, but she wasn't succeeding very well. I casually tossed my coat in on top of her and searched to find the culprit with only one sock on. Not to my surprise, it was Wufei, who was hanging upside down like a bat on the balcony." he lowered his voice and leaned closer to quietly add, "He is one weird guy! Anyway, so I decided to mingle and figure out who else was there and what they were doing. A few times I passed Heero, who had given up his goblets of Champaign. Instead, he was carrying the bottles themselves around...I swear, he can down one of those things in one slug! Seriously! I watched him!"

"Say that again and I'll...hic!...kill...hiccup!...you...hic!...Duo!" Heero shouted as he slowly regained consciousness while still lying on the ground. "All three of you, Duo! Hic!" 

"He doesn't mean it...he only says that to people he likes..." Relena piped up while two cops started to pull out their Billy clubs at the threat. 

"Hey, aren't you Relena Darlian or Peacecraft, adopted daughter of Vice Foreign Minister Darlian and King Peacecraft's real daughter? Weren't you Queen...of the world once?" one of the cops asked when they recognized the voice from the shadows. 

"Why, yes, how nice of you to..."

"Yeah, yeah, anyway, back to my story..."

"Narrative."

"Whatever, Quatre!" Trowa looked up, silencing Duo for moment. Then, deciding to fix his mistake, he continued in a lighter tone. "Aren't you supposed to be watching Heero? I think he's trying to get up again..." Shinigami warned as Heero did try to get off the grass, but with Trowa seated firmly on his back, it was a little hard to do. The heir to the Winner fortune stalked off to find some water, muttering something inaudible to other ears but himself. Satisfied he wasn't going to be interrupted again, the man dressed like a minister continued.

"As I walked through the kitchen, I found Relena, Dorothy, and Catherine sitting in the breakfast nook, sipping tea. Dorothy asked, 'Where has Sally got to now? I bet she's off chasing that boy again...' Relena answered with, 'Yeah, she needs to give him a break! Obviously he doesn't want to be with her!' "

At this, Wufei snorted, being the only person other than the cop that was really listening. "Relena needs to take her own advice!"

"I heard that, Chang Wufei!" could be heard in the distance as the former Queen of the world came stalking up to reprimand him. The pilot of the Altron was gone before she even got close. He simply did a back flip onto the top of the truck he was leaning on, and sat like a cat watching her, chuckling quietly to himself. She looked around quickly and turned to Quatre, who merely shrugged. She strode off, nose in the air, followed by gales of laughter from the four Gundam pilots who still had consciousness.

"I got quickly away from that," Duo continued while popping a piece of gum in his mouth. "And made my way to the bedrooms to see if I could catch anyone...well...you know! Let me tell you, Quatre sure does know how to live! I have to remind you that this is an _apartment_ I was in! He had an endless supply of money! The kid is wealthy...he is..."

"The heir of the Winner fortune, I know! Please continue with the story, young man," the cop interrupted, taking a seat on a fire truck.

"Alright, alright, I'm getting to it! Geez!" the teen replied under his breath.

"No lip, please, I just need the story."

"Narrative..." the boy corrected him when seeing Quatre returning with a cup for Heero. Trowa took a quick look up as he saw his Little One returning, and smiled slightly when he heard Duo's smart reply. The detective just sighed with frustration, causing Duo to continue before getting into any other types of trouble. "So anyway, I glanced into each of the rooms, but only found Trowa in one, reading. He looked up for a moment when I peeked in, gave me his normal blank stare, and motioned with his hand for me to come in. 'Reading? At a party?' I asked. He just nodded, and placed a small slip of paper with the word _Quatre-sama_ on it in place of his finger. Setting the book down on the table next to the plush chair he was sitting in, he interlaced his fingers and rested his hands on his lap, watching me with an emotionless face.

" 'So...are you enjoying the party, Quiet One?' I asked. Of course, perfectly in personality, he nodded. As you can tell, Trowa is a man of little words. They only person he talks in full, or shall I say, people, are Quatre over there and Catherine, his sister. Otherwise, you'd have a more lively conversation with a brick wall. They really need to change that saying to, 'What am I, talking to Trowa Barton?' " the pilot chuckled softly at his joke, hoping to lighten the mood, but saw he failed. The burning building in the background didn't help much, either. Exhaling noisily with disappointment, he continued. 

"Finally, after sitting there for about five minutes, he actually did speak.

'The Little One is too rambunctious for me. Wasn't it his idea for the party?'

'Yes,' I answered, remembering back to the day when we..." he bit his lip, trying to think of something to say. Unable to come up with a good reason, Duo continued with, "decided to have this party. And even though Quatre seems so innocent you don't think he'd even make a phone call without permission, think again. He is one wild dude! Anyway, back to the tale. I continued my answer. "Yes, Quatre can be crazy sometimes...do you know where he is now? I haven't seen him since I got here. I thought he would be with you, because...well...' I broke off, not wanting to mention their relationship so bluntly. But, Trowa understood and smiled knowingly, nodding his head slowly.

'I think he might be in the dining room, or perhaps on the balcony. You know hw he does love nighttime,' he suggested, knitting his eyebrows together in thought. At that moment I decided to leave Trowa alone, and for two reasons. One, because he had looked very into the book, _Ender's Game_, that he was reading, and two, because I didn't want Quatre to get mad, jealous, and/or suspicious, or all of the above, because I was in a bedroom alone with his Trowa. That was something I didn't need most of all, a mad Quatre on my tail," At the mention of his name, Quatre looked up, then glanced from Trowa to Duo. Shinigami shrank back at the glare, and continued. "And he's supposed to be the pacifist of the group...ha! So, I bid my farewells and left, closing the door quietly behind me. Heero came walking, or, shall I say, boogying by and grinned wickedly while practically waving his hand off. I could tell that his hangover would be the worst of us all. It was great! He barely ever breaks his monotonous tone, much less his non-feeling steely glare. I decided to follow him and see what he was up to, so I used my knowledge as The God of Death and stealthily tracked him throughout the expansive apartment. I thought I was doing great and not letting him see me, but then he led me into the bathroom and suddenly vanished from sight. Then, after figuring out..." 

When she heard this, Dorothy shouted out, "YOU figured something out? Amazing!" Duo just glared at her for a moment, then continued.

"Where was I before I was so rudely interrupted? Oh, yes... After figuring out that I must have messed up and turned down a wrong corridor, the coldness of steel and loud click by my ear confirmed my tracking skills were still in shape. But, even the God of Death himself couldn't escape the Perfect Soldier's acute senses, even when he was drunk. That gun never leaves his side, honestly! Sometimes I think he loves weapons more than he does Relena..."

Just then, Heero snapped out of his unconsciousness and drunkenness, and while twisting under Trowa, managed to pull out the talked about weapon, pointing it at Duo. Immediately throwing up his hands, the boy replied to the cocking of the gun with, "Heero, I know you won't really shoot me. You've pointed that thing at me so many times I've lost count, but not once have you pulled the trigger." in a bored tone, as if he'd said it a million times over. "Me, on the other hand...well, let's not go there right now. Just put it down, please, Heero...you don't want to get in trouble, do you?" he asked, raising both his eyebrows to add effect and widening his already apple sized eyes.

"Don't mention anything about that girl and I again, or I'll have to prove you wrong, Duo. Watch what you say, especially about her." Heero stated plainly, his monotone set back in. Upon hearing him taking up her defense, the aforementioned girl practically jumped on him, smothering him with kisses and thank-yous. The pilot of the illustrious Gundam Zero-One gave Quatre a fleeting, pleading look, asking _Can you get her off of me please, Quatre? PLEASE?_

The only true pacifist of the Gundam Pilots thought of something quickly to get Relena away from his friend, while telling Duo to keep Heero occupied while he dealt with the former Queen.

"Miss Relena, please, could you tell the officer your story of what happened? Duo is done with his..."

"Hey, no I'm not! Quatre! I didn't get to...ouch! Hey, I thought you were a pacifist! No violence, remember? Ouch, hey, okay, I'm done!" Deathscythe's pilot hurried away towards Heero while Quatre continuously rained kicks on him until he gave up and admitted that he was finished.

"Why, yes, Quatre, I'd love to tell my rendition of what happened. Officer...Detaret, is it? Ne? Alright then, where to begin..." the Peacecraft daughter said aloud to herself, clearly in deep thought. From the shadows, someone shouted out, "How about when you got there? I thought that would be the beginning of everyone's..." Relena shot one of her deadly glares that she had picked up from Heero in the direction of the voice, but failed to find the offender. Quatre sighed heavily as Trowa placed his arms around his shoulders from behind, and the blonde rolled his head to rest against on the muscle packed limbs.

"Gosh, keeping everyone from fighting is the hardest thing I've ever done. Especially Heero! He thrives on hearing the click of that gun, I know it!" Bringing his hands up to his brow, he massaged the temples to help relieve the stress. The circus clown, having to bend over because of their massive height difference, kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"My Little One, my Little One. I know it's frustrating, but you do such a wonderful job at it. You are the glue that keeps this group together. Without you, Heero and/or Wufei would've killed Duo by now, or at least taken out his vocal chords, and I would be stuck with only lions and Catherine to talk to. These pilots need you...I need you." he consoled, coming around to the front of the blue-eyed boy, and rubbing his nose against Quatre's. Their lips met briefly, only to be parted by Quatre running off to stop Wufei from making some kind of an assault on Sally, who had found his hiding place. Trowa just watched after him, smiling at the one man he's ever loved. His Little One.

~*~

When Quatre asked him to keep Heero occupied, this wasn't what he had in mind...

"Hey, Heero, I was just kidding about the Relena thing...you know, trying to lighten everyone's spirits...heh-heh..." Duo raised his arms in protest as Heero drew back his own, ready to fight. The punch came, but it seemed in slow motion, so Deathscythe's pilot ducked it easily and caught the Perfect Soldier as he fell, slumbering in dreamland once again. "Out again...saved by the alcohol...or...whatever..." Struggling, he half-carried and half dragged Heero over to a nearby fire truck, and called for Nataku's pilot. Wufei, glad to get away from Sally and Quatre, came quickly and hoisted his burden onto the back of his shoulders, awaiting orders. Trowa, who had been watching everything that was going on, sauntered over and motioned for them to follow. Duo shrugged and started after Wufei, who pursued Trowa right away. Striding over to EMS, Trowa pointed to the sleeping soldier.

"Can he sleep here for now?" The nurses looked back and forth to each other, both recognizing him as a Gundam Pilot. But, nonetheless, they kept quiet and nodded, clearing off a cot for him. They kept glancing nervously at each other, but they were reassured when Duo walked up and grinned his _Hey, how you doin'?_ smile and started hitting on them. Unfortunately for the boy, Hilde came walking up and grabbed his braid, pulling him off among the fire trucks to chastise him. *

Relena, on the other hand, was very caught up in her story, and soon, most of the other party goers were sitting in earshot of her, listening carefully, for lack of much else to do.

Eventually Duo and Hilde made it over to the group after some scolding, slight arguing, and a very heated apologizing session. Sitting on the braided wonder's lap, Hilde focused her attention to the Heero-lover's story.

"After my conversation with Dorothy and Catherine, I decided to go look for either Trowa or Heero to dance with, Trowa because he's so graceful," she smiled in the clown's direction, whose cheeks flushed slightly. "And Heero because...well...," she cleared her throat to hide her embarrassment, then continued. "The former was nowhere to be seen, while the latter was...Well, the latter was dancing on the coffee table with Hilde."

"So that's where you were!" Duo exclaimed at the mention of this. "You were dancing with a drunk Heero?" he giggled at his mind's eye's idea of it.

"Well, you weren't anywhere nearby, and I hadn't seen you at all that night...Heero was there, and I wanted to dance! Simple as that! Don't tell me you're...jealous, are you?" she pushed her nose against his, and they exchanged a butterfly kiss, at which most of the surrounding people turned away at, simply because of it's mushiness.

Relena decided to continue. "I saw that Heero and Hilde were busy, so I decided not to be a problem and go onto one of the bedroom balconies and look at the stars.* It was here that I found the elusive Quatre, sipping some non-alcoholic beverage, the only in the apartment. Even the tea was spiked, so I was a little tipsy by that time. Crossing over to the railing, I stood next to the sweetheart and leaned out, gazing up at the artificial panels of stars the Colony builders had created. After a few moments, he spoke.

'Are you having fun, Miss Relena?' he asked, turning to offer me some of his drink. I took it gratefully and sipped on it, trying to relieve my head of the continuous pounding I was feeling.

'Yes, Quatre-sama, I am having quite a bit of fun. This was a great idea of yours,' I thought over everyone there and added with an inward smile, 'Heero seems to be having the most fun of all...I've never seen him like this before. He hasn't stopped smiling once!'

'I'm just so glad everyone is happy and safe...and the useless fighting is over finally. I didn't think it'd ever end...,' The Arabian trailed off wistfully. Suddenly he turned to look through the sliding glass doors, wondering why the music had stopped inside. Deciding to play Matchmaker, he tilted his head a bit and whispered in my ear, 'You know, in Trowa and mine's bedroom there is a large selection of slow songs, mostly about love. You should choose one and ask Heero to dance with you to it. We'll all get partners...Duo and Hilde, you and Heero, Wufei and Sally...and I guess I'll dance with Dorothy and Catherine and Trowa can dance...we don't want anyone left out! Hurry up before he either passes out or finds something else to grab his attention, Miss Relena. I'll get everyone ready, okay?' I couldn't believe what that little blonde-haired angel was trying to do, but before I knew it, I was in his and Trowa's bedroom, trying to find a suitable song. I decided on _Last Impression_, a favorite of Heero's and my late brother Miliardo's. Let me tell you, my heart was beating so quickly I thought it to burst, and I'm sure I was as nervous as a pregnant nun!" 

She paused to laugh, but was cut off by Duo's half mockingly, serious voice, exclaiming, "Hey, that's not funny!" While he fondled his cross and adjusted his minister's collar.

There were a few almost silent chuckles to be heard from the extra policeman and firemen who had gathered around, not needed because the fire was almost put out.

Grinning at Hilde, who rolled her eyes at Duo's attempt to joke, she continued. "I came out into the living room and found Quatre and Trowa, who were sitting together on the couch exchanging love glances, Hilde, Catherine, and Dorothy. Duo and Heero were no where to be found, and when I looked pleadingly to Quatre, he pointed to the closed door of the bathroom. Confused, I walked cautiously up to it and pressed an ear to the wood. All I could hear was Duo protesting something, and a heavy tread of feet that sounded suspiciously like Heero's...yes, I know how he walks, so sue me!" she exclaimed when receiving several surprised looks from the "Gundam Girls."

"I opened the door slowly to see Heero holding a gun to Duo's head, who was facing the wall and grinning, nonetheless. 

'Heero! Put that thing down! What did he do wrong now, go to the bathroom?' I yelped while leaping at him. Managing to get the gun away, I shoved it quickly down my blouse, where I knew Heero wouldn't try to get it. He gave me a drunken look of surprise and then suddenly came out of his stupor, turning to stand in front of me.

'Relena, give me the gun,' he ordered.

'No, you'll hurt Duo,' I protested.

'No, I won't, I promise. I just want my gun back, I don't like being without it. What if twenty former Oz soldiers came barging in? It'd be kind of hard for me to defend you...' at this he blushed deeply. 'Us, with the gun down your shirt. Don't think you'd want me trying to get it, do you?' he asked turning a brighter shade of red, but never changing his expression or voice. I giggled nervously at the thought of him reaching down my shirt in front of twenty Oz soldiers, then noticed he was eyeing me carefully. Or, more specifically, my blouse collar, which was lower than normal because the gun was pulling it down. Then I remember that Heero was drunk, and figured out why he would be attracted by that when normally he was not. Hoping he would not do anything stupid his tipsiness, I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the living room. Pulling out my tucked in shirt, I let the gun drop and gave it to Trowa, whom I knew would keep it safe for the time being. It literally disappeared into a completely concealed holster, something I'm sure Heero taught him.

'Hey, that's mine!' he yelled when I gave it to Trowa.

'Well, too bad, you're drunk and we don't want anyone to get hurt accidentally...or purposely, for that matter,' I smiled at Duo, who rubbed his arm ruefully where Heero had grabbed him, and glared at the Perfect Soldier, who was now leaning against me for support," she laughed lightly, remembering the scene, and was about to continue when Heero himself came sauntering up.

"My turn...hic!" he announced, going over to put his arm about Relena's shoulders, who flushed severely and tried unsuccessfully to hid her embarrassment. Leaning over, the boy kissed her cheek and then non-too-gently pushed her aside, sending her tumbling into the open arms of Wufei, who was explaining something to Dorothy. Completely surprised, Wufei stood up, and evidently brought Relena with him, since they were soon standing about two inches apart, facing each other. At first, they both were too startled to move. And then Heero saw them. he did a double take and almost immediately was on Wufei, trying to knock the snot out of him, but was failing rapidly. Not wanted to hit his drunken friend, the Chinese pilot kept dodging the blows, then decided that the only way to make Heero happy was if he let the Perfect Soldier hit him, then apologize for being in close vicinity of "his girl."

"Whoa, hold on there! Cut it out you guys!" Quatre yelled, running over from a spot behind a fire truck. Briefly, Trowa stepped out from the same place and surveyed the scene. Wiping his bottom lip of the extra saliva a kiss normally leaves, the clown did a quick flip over the red truck and landed between Heero and Wufei, who was standing stock still, awaiting the drunken boy's punch.

"Wait there, Little One, I don't want you to get hurt. I'll settle this," Trowa yelled over the still insult shouting Heero, whom he was holding back, away from Wufei.

"Why you double crossing, low down, rotten, two timing, girlfriend stealing...,"

"Heero, shut up! You're drunk and you didn't notice that what happened was a total and complete accident. _You_ shoved Miss Relena into Wufei's arms, and now you are yelling at him for your actions. Be a man, take the consequences yourself. Now, apologize to Wufei," the tall boy scolded, smacking Heero once to get him to be quiet.

"Wanna bet how much of this he'll remember in the morning?" Duo asked, walking around with his upturned hat, awaiting bids. Upon receiving none but his own, he sighed gloomily and slumped down, muttering about how serious everyone was being, and how badly not having fun can effect your health harshly.

Heero, now more under the effect of the alcohol the most he had been that night (but still retaining his senses, let me remind you), was close to tears as he reached the depressed, "I'm not even good enough for dirt," mood. Shaking Trowa off and persuading him to believe that he was okay now and he understood, Heero made his way over to Altron's pilot, reaching out with his hand in a shake. Gradually, with a nod from Quatre, Wufei accepted, and it seemed that everything would be alright. Then the Chinese pilot yelped in pain as Heero bit him, and tackled him once again, pummeling the soldier's face and chest. Well, trying to pummel. At this point Hilde decided that she couldn't take it anymore, and abandoned her seat on Shinigami's lap. Duo didn't notice at first, but when he did, Hilde was already about two paces away from the scuffle.

"Hilde, wait, no, Hilde! Don't get into that, you'll only get hurt! Hildeeee!" Deathscythe's pilot yelled, jumping up and running towards her. Yet, as much as he wanted to stop her, he was too late. She had made it there in less than five seconds, and had seem the bulge in Heero's shirt while he rolled around on the ground with Wufei. Kneeling, Hilde found the precise moment and reached into his tank top, grabbing his gun. He stopped for a moment and looked at her, and then she stood, pointing the weapon at the lead Gundam pilot.

"Heero, stop it this instant, I'll be forced to shoot you!" she shouted, placing her finger lightly on the trigger.

"You wouldn't," he stated plainly, eyeing the gun.

"I've shot Duo down before, so shooting you won't be a big deal," she responded with a bored tone. "I am quite fond of you, Heero, because you're so strong. But the fact that alcohol affects you so severely makes you into someone else, not Heero. You are not Heero. Therefore, shooting you will make no difference," Hilde repeated, this time pulling gently with her middle finger, the one she always used to shoot with. "Now, stand up," she ordered, following his movements with the barrel of the gun. He finally obeyed and raised his hands, only after helping Wufei up. Everyone stood by in amazement. Hilde was the sweet little former Oz soldier that Duo had lovingly called his own, and yet she was threatening to shoot one of her favorite people, and with his own gun.

"Cool," Duo whispered under his breath while he thought about it. Relena glared at him, but he only shrugged innocently and pointed to the scene.

"Now, will one of you big, strong policemen come over her and restrain him? Don't you dare hurt him or use any more force than required, just enough to keep him from hurting anyone else. Dorothy, can you please go get EMS and first scold them for letting him leave, then ask for the strongest sedative they've got? We need him to sleep this off as soon as possible. Thank you!" She paused and looked around at her quick thinking in action. "Well, men, are you going to get him handcuffed?" she asked when she noticed none of the policemen had moved at her request. They glanced tentatively back and forth at each other and then to Heero, who was awaiting everything that was coming to him ever so patiently, and with a boldness only the Perfect Soldier could muster.

"But...isn't he a...Gundam Pilot? The most deadly one of all?" one of the policemen piped up in a scared voice while remaining seated.

"Hey now...," Duo objected.

"Yeah, who said that _he's_ the most deadly?!" Wufei shouted, obviously offended. He glared at the group of community workers, trying to find the culprit, but ended his search in vain.

"Anyway...," Hilde interrupted while staring at the two pilots until they subsided and took their seats. "What gives you that idea, boys?" she asked sweetly, turning to the men seated beside her, trying to hide the lie.

"Well...," a different one from before responded. "He _is_ named Heero Yuy, is he not?"

"Yes, he is...," she answered.

"And he fights extremely well for a kid his age...,"

"Yeah...so, he grew up in a touch neighborhood...," she objected.

"So he's allowed to carry a gun?" the man asked.

"Everyone needs protection sometimes, right?" By now, the certainty in Hilde's voice was failing, and the other pilots could definitely tell she was just trying to make excuses.

"The Gundams...you guys, won peace between Earth and the Colonies. No more fighting, remember?" the insistent policemen reminded her.

There was a pause.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you a little secret if you come with me," Hilde finally replied, seeming more sure of herself now. She stalked off between some fire trucks, being followed closely by the determined annoyance, with everyone staring after them. Duo, already aware of what the girl was about to do (mostly due to personal experience), turned back around to lean against a truck with his hands behind his head, chuckling. Everyone else eventually heard his gales of laughter, and faced him. 

"What is so funny?" Catherine asked, clearly annoyed that she wasn't in on the joke.

"Oh, you'll see when she comes back in about, well, five...four...three...two...one...Hey Hilde!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close, kissing her nose. "All taken care of?" he whispered under his breath.

"Uh-huh!" she responded happily. Turning, she addressed the rest of the people surrounding her. "Now, these five young men...Wait a sec, where's Heero?" she stopped, noticing the missing pilot.

"Over there with the detective," Relena pointed.

"Oh, okay. Anyway, forget what you heard from that insolent fool. These teenagers are just regular boys, and somewhat normal, (somewhat being the operative word in that sentence...). They are _not_, let me repeat, _NOT_ Gundam Pilots. You think these wonderful pilots would be teenage boys? Did you get a chance to see them in battle? Their skills and endurance certainly did not correspond with that of a boy such as these, am I right? Gosh, were those pilots awesome...especially the pilot of the Gundam 02, Deathscythe...oh, was he amazing...," Hilde got a far off look in her eyes as she thought about the night before with Shinigami, then realized everyone was still staring.

She blushed until her cheeks got a color of red Duo had never seen before, so he decided to take over and spare the embarrassment. But, deep down inside, he was shouting with joy, mostly because he knew Hilde was thinking about last night. It certainly hadn't left his mind, either.

"What Hilde was trying to say is that there is no way we could be those Gumdan or whatever pilots, simply because we're not. And that you should not be afraid Heero because even though he may be scary looking, he's too drunk right now to think straight, so he won't be much of fight. Hell, even I'd do it, but that's up to you guys. And if I were you, I'd try to get him before he gets too involved in that story he's telling, or else you'll make him mad...,"

~*~

Heero _was_ telling an outlandish tale. The detective stood back in awe at the amount of lies he was hearing, but said nothing.

"So, I was surrounded. Trowa had my only means of defense tucked away in the folds of his clothes, so I had to think clearly. I scanned the room and saw a cheese knife on the table. Leaping over the couch, Quatre, and the braided wonder over there, I did a flip and landed next to it. The former OZ soldiers started to close in on us, and I heard Relena scream. one of them had her, a gun to her head, so I acted quickly. Sharp's the word, quick's the action, I always say. I reared back and threw the weapon. It hissed through the air and...," he trailed off as Wufei dragged him away, sticking him with the "sleepy-time needle." He went limp and his head rolled to the side, while his breathing regulated. Taking the handcuffs away from one of the cops, Sally followed Wufei to EMS, twirling the restraints around her finger.

"Wait up, butterduck!" she yelled while jogging after him.

The teenagers watched for a moment, then broke out into uproarious laughter that resonated off of the surrounding buildings and trucks.

"She never gives up!" Relena announced while wiping tears from the corners of her eyes as the laughter subsided.

"Sounds like someone I know...Ow!"

"Duo, be nice!" Hilde exclaimed after punching his shoulder at the rude comment.

"I am! It's true!" But he stopped his protest while his love glared at him until he brought his lips to hers.

Quatre sighed at seeing this, and asked, "Isn't it romantic?" in a dreamy voice while glancing over at Trowa, who blushed slightly.

The couple parted for a breath and noticed they were being watched. Trying to shrug it off as nothing, Hilde whispered loud enough for all to hear, "Look honey, we have spectators!" while giggling.

When they heard this, the audience turned away and began chit-chatting in order to save face. Quatre, seeing the annoyed detective, decided to take the initiative.

"Well, since Relena's had enough story telling, I believe it's someone else's turn now...," he glanced around at his friends, who looked as if they were intentionally ignoring him. As his gaze stopped at Duo, he mentally asked, 'Well?' while raising his eyebrows.

"Uh-uh, no way, Quatre-sama! I went first! Choose someone else!" Deathscythe's pilot shouted while backing away, his arms up in protest.

"Well, someone needs to go...," Trowa stated. Everyone stared his way, amazed that he spoke unnecessarily. Even more surprising was that he stepped up and strode over to the policeman, as graceful as he were on the tightrope. He smiled as he passed Quatre, who mouthed, "Are you sure?"

Answering with a nod, the acrobat took a seat on a table top nearby and faced the inspector.

"Are you ready?" the cop asked, holding his pen to the pad of paper, awaiting more of the story.

"Yes sir. Picking up from where Miss Relena left off. I had Heero's gun safely tucked away, and so Quatre started the music. I recognized it instantly as _Last Impression_, a favorite among us. Duo and Miss Hilde started dancing immediately, without question. Quatre bowed low and asked Miss Dorothy, who agreed. Miss Relena looked expectantly at Heero, who acted as if he were suddenly very interested in the punch. Remembering that that too had alcohol in it, I quickly made my way over to him and steered him away, bringing him over to Miss Relena. I whispered, 'Dance with her!' in his ear, and he willingly obeyed. Taking her hand he whisked off to the dining room and climbed onto the table, waltzing away.

Looking to Catherine, she flipped over the couch and I caught her with ease. We started dancing, and then I noticed Quatre leaving Dorothy for a moment and stalking off to the living room balcony. Confused, I watched as he disappeared for brief second, then reappeared, dragging Wufei in by the arm, who was verbally protesting.

'No! I am not dancing with that horror! She is a weakling, and continually calls me her butterduck, and I will not tolerate it,' Wufei struggled, but I knew Quatre could keep his hold. He has a very strong grip," he paused, smiling at Sandrock's pilot as if no one else was around, and then continued. "Quatre-sama pulled Wufei to a corner and scolded him quietly while Dorothy talked to Sally. I saw Wufei nod and then stride over to the couch, ego brimming and chest puffed out. Holding out his hand, he drew her up to him, and they started the Tango down the hallway. Wufei may not be the ideal date, but it is widely known that he _can_ dance, and very well, I might add. I think it is because of his extensive martial arts training; for that sport you need to be very quick, flexible, and light on your feet, which helps dance moves flow as well.

The Little One, happy with his accomplishment, started dancing again. I watched him for a moment, then started to swing with Cathy. Suddenly, there was a loud crash in the kitchen, and then the smoke alarm went off. After that, everything happened so quickly I can not accurately recall the events that took place. The last thing I remember is yelling for everyone to get out of the apartment, and then counting us on the lawn. And then you all arrived. Please excuse me, I have nothing else to say," Trowa choked out, and stalked off. Quatre gave a worried glance after him, then ran to catch up.

The detective, confused, raised and eyebrow at Catherine, knowing she was his sister.

"Trowa loved that apartment because it was his _and_ Quatre's. He also had a lot of memories tucked away in the nooks and crannies of that place, and now they are all ashes, forgotten in the wind," She wiped the corners of her eyes, and held back a sob while exclaiming, "It was his home!" and running off.

There was silence as the surrounding people thought about her statement. Hilde wiped away a few tears as Catherine had done, and Duo embraced her warmly, whispering, "It's okay, sweetie. They will bounce back, believe me," She nodded and turned around in his lap, burying her face in the folds of his minister's robe.

"Everyone needs a place to come home to...," a voice stated from the shadows. Quatre stepped out, gnawing on his bottom lip and trying his best not to break down as well.

"Is Trowa okay?" Hilde and Dorothy whispered in unison as he walked by.

"What? Oh, yes, Miss Catherine came up and I decided to let them alone. And, I also have something to contribute to the narrative, if you don't mind, sir," The Arabian said, turning to the inspector.

"I'll just go ahead. While Dorothy and I were dancing, I noticed Heero and Relena waltzing on the table. That was a table my mother gave me, so naturally I went in to tell them to get down. In a polite way, of course," he added quickly to ease the bitterness of the statement before, then continued normally.

" 'Heero, Miss, Relena, I'm sorry, but that's an antique table, something my mother gave me. Could you be so kind as to stop dancing on it?' I asked, pulling out a chair for them to step down.

'Why certainly, Quatre, sorry to have ever done it in the first place,' was Miss Relena's response as I helped her down. Heero, however, remained, and kept up his dancing by performing a Scottish jig. I've never seen a Scottish jig performed like that before, and I probably won't ever again.

'Heero, please, get down!' I shouted, a bit more annoyed. Having twenty-nine older sisters and only one bathroom teaches you patience, but not _that_ much patience. I reached up and grabbed his tank top, pulling slightly, and he lost his balance. He started to topple and instinctively reached up to grab the chandelier hanging over his head. Soon, he was dangling from the candle filled light fixture, and swinging from it like a primate. A few of the lit wax candles fell onto the carpet, and as soon as they did, the screws holding the chandelier in place came out of the ceiling, and Heero came with it as it flew to the ground. That was the crash Trowa heard. The smoke alarm was set off because of two things. Part of Heero's hair caught on fire when the chandelier fell on top of him, and the carpeting also caught fire."

When he heard the first reason for the setting off of the fire alarm, Duo started cracking up. "Oh my God! Heero's hair caught on fire? It's short enough already and now he has parts missing! That explains that bald spot on the back of his head! Hahaha!" He broke into uproarious laughter, falling off of the chair he had inhabited. Hilde, who had claimed his lap, fell off as well, and they landed in a heap on the cement, giggling and chuckling until their stomachs hurt.

Quatre waited for them to contain their laughter before going on. "I struggled to get him out from under the light, and Wufei appeared out of nowhere, kicked it aside, and carried him out of the building. I heard Trowa shout and felt my way over to Miss Relena. Holding her hand, we crawled on the floor towards the door because the smoke was getting thick already. We made it out onto the lawn, and Trowa did a head count. We were missing one. Miss Sally. As soon as Wufei heard this, he raced back inside. What happened in there, only he can tell you. All I know is that he came out carrying Miss Sally, and she was completely safe in his arms. Then he wouldn't let her go, even to mufgph fhgm nmnd...," Quatre mumbled as Wufei's hand clasped over his mouth, silencing his proclamation of his love for Sally Po. He eventually let the blonde go when everyone stared at him, and tried to look not interested. "Well, Wufei, if you wanted to talk, you should have said something! You didn't have to do that...," Quatre exclaimed as angrily as he could sound, and yet laughing.

"Would you like me blurting out what you and Trowa do in your _after hours _time?" Wufei asked, raising his eyebrows. Quatre blushed deeply and his head shook vigorously in a definite disagreement. "Okay, then. I will tell what happened when I saved that Woman and then we will all get out of the place. Go check on Trowa and Catherine; she may have converted him," 

Upon hearing this, Sandrock's pilot's eyes grew wide in fear and he raced off between the mazes of cars and trucks to find his beloved. Wufei smirked until he caught Dorothy's icy glare, at which he took up his previously serious expression and turned to the policeman. He wasted no time in telling his tale.

"I was standing on the lawn, holding up Heero, and Trowa was counting us. His sullen voice echoed off of the buildings enclosing the courtyard as he numbered us off.

'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and counting myself, nine. Wait moment. That doesn't sound right,' He counted on his fingers as he said each person's name. 'Heero, Duo, Quatre, Wufei, Catherine, Miss Dorothy, Miss Hilde, Miss Relena, and Trowa, me. That's nine. Wait, where's Miss Sally?'

While he was counting, I wasn't paying much attention, yet for some reason when he said, 'Where's Sally?' something snapped inside of me and I dropped Heero on Quatre. I raced inside and up the stairs, heart beating a mile a minute. I reached the door and kicked it aside. Smoke filled the air instantly, but it didn't phase me. Only one thing was on my mind. 'Where's Sally,'

I got to the couch and yelled out, 'Sally, where are you?' I didn't receive an answer. I shouted again. 'Woman, come on, answer me! Where are you Woman?' Still no response. Then I heard something as I reached on of the balconies. It sounded very weak, just barely audible, but I could make it out.

'Butterduck...,'

I knew I had found her. Dropping to my hands and knees, I crawled around until I reached her. She was trapped under a bookshelf by the living room balcony. Lifting it off of her, I reached under her arms and behind her knees, lifting her up in front of me. I made my way through the burning apartment and on the way pulled a fire alarm. I got outside to the sweet, fresh air, and collapsed on the grass. The others rushed over and carried us to the cement to check us out. I was just glad she was safe. And then you people arrived and ruined the moment we were having," he glared at the fire fighters surrounding him, and started to walk off.

"Wait a minute, young man. Where are you going? Is that it?" the inspector asked.

"Well, yeah, what else do you want?" Wufei inquired bitterly, turning.

"Uh, well, could you get the rest of your crew back here, even Mr. Yuy? I need to talk to you all,"

"Sure, not like I have anything else to do...," Altron's pilot replied sarcastically while striding off.

~*~

A few moments later, all of the Gundam Pilots and their "girls" were gathered in a semi circle around the detective. Even Heero, who was considered to be sleep walking because he had been give such a strong sedative. Sally was draped over Wufei, who, surprisingly, didn't object one. Everyone looked up expectantly.

"Can we go home now?" was Duo's question after a few moments silence. A single tear rolled down Quatre's cheek to be wiped off by Trowa's thumb at the mention of _home_, but Catherine comforted him with, "You guys can stay at my place as long as you need to," The Arabian's teal eyes lit up immediately, since he loved the Zoo animals, and his mood turned instantly happy.

The policeman waited patiently, then began, looking over his notes.

"First of all, who are you guys? You seem awfully familiar, and not that normal to be just teens. I recognize you, Miss Relena, but may I ask why you are hanging around with delinquents such as these? I mean, they have a party late into the night, every liquid in the house has some sort of alcohol in it, and one of them carries a gun. I have to say, they are a bit...eccentric. And why is Mr. Yuy called the 'Perfect Soldier' when he's just fifteen? And what's all this 'God of Death' stuff? Please, Miss Relena. Right now, you are the only one I trust!"

Relena smiled at the confused man and started with, "Because Heero _is_ the 'Perfect Soldier'," She glanced at the boy lovingly, and he responded by opening his eyes for a moment a grinning back. Then he fell unconscious once more. She continued. "Guys, I don' think we can keep this quite any longer. Heero is called the 'Perfect Soldier' because, well...," she looked at all of the fear stricken faces of her comrades, who were sure she was about to tell the cop they were Gundam Pilots. "Heero, as well as every other person here, along with myself, are in a new movie that is coming out soon. We were celebrating tonight because we finished filming it today. It's called _Eternal Wing_, and it's about the ten of us, and what we went through during the war. Heero plays an OZ soldier in disguise, whom I fall in love with. Duo kills a lot of people, hence the nickname 'God of Death.' You've probably seen previews for it, that's why we all look so familiar. The gun is just a prop gun that Heero carries around because he got so into the movie. Sorry to scare you all into thinking that they were Gundam Pilots...they are far from it. Right, guys?"

Her friends' smiles started to crawl across each of their faces at the lie, and soon they were nodding vigorously in agreement.

Duo piped up with, "Yeah, I can't even shoot straight! How could I pilot a mobile suit? In all the scenes where I had to shoot someone, they had to use a computer to edit it because my shot would be so off!"

Soon the chatter died down and the former Queen turned to the detective. "Sorry to have caused you all of this trouble, we really are. And, thank you for putting out the fire, you guys!" she shouted to the firemen and policemen behind the cop. A chorus of 'You're welcomes" and "No problems" floated by, and she smiled flawlessly. "So, are we free to go?"

"I guess so, but let me just ask one thing before you do. Do any of you remember my specific question when I first got here?"

Trowa, whom the question was directed to in the first place, replied after a moment of thought, " 'Can you tell me what happened here,' I believe, sir,"

"Yes, correct. Now let me just say this. That was the longest answer I've ever herd to that question in my entire career of twenty years! But, you told the story well, and you kept these guys," he thumbed over his shoulder at the retreating the workers. "Out of trouble while they waited. This'll be something for the guys back at the station...gosh...," he murmured while looking back over his full notepad of notes. "Now, I suggest you all go home some sleep. You've had a _long_ day."

~*~

The last time they saw that policeman, he was walking wearily off, whistling "Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles. 

Relena picked up Heero with the help of Trowa and leaned his weight on her, whispering, "Let's go home," in his ear.

Duo crouched down and Hilde climbed onto his back, getting a piggy back ride. She twirled his braid around and the God of Death jogged off into the night with her, engaged in an active conversation for that time of morning. "I wonder how Relena came up with that detailed lie!"

"She _was_ Queen of the world, she's ruled a country before, she has to be able to lie really well!"

"Oh, well that would make sense...,"

As their voices faded off, Wufei made his way to his motorcycle, holding hands with Sally. And for once, he didn't mind that she called him, "Butterduck," as she embraced him from behind on the seat. They sped off as well, leaving a few remaining firemen and Dorothy, Catherine, Quatre, and Trowa.

The latter two stared up at the ashes of the apartment they had called _home_ as the sun rose slowly in the horizon, Quatre leaning on Trowa. Placing his arm around the blonde, the acrobat noticed his love's breathing had regulated, and he was enjoying a nice snooze. In one deft movement, the clown scooped the boy up in his arms and joined Catherine and Dorothy, who were waiting in the car.

"Is he out?" Dorothy asked, starting the vehicle.

"Yes, and he needs it. Let's get there as quick as possible so I can get him into a proper bed. he's had a very stressful day,"

"I don't know...," Catherine said doubtfully. Trowa raised an eyebrow while frowning at her, wondering what she meant. As she brushed away a stray hair from the sleeping boy's face she smiled sweetly at her brother. "He looks awfully comfortable laying on you, Trowa," 

For the first time that night, Trowa smiled truthfully and closed his eyes, joining Quatre in his dreams.


End file.
